EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG TALENT TAKES TO THE STAGE IN YAMAHA’S JUNIOR ORIGINAL CONCERT

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Lisa CesaranoGiles Communications

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—Outstanding Young International Musicians Showcase Original Compositions at Irvine Barclay Theatre—

Online PR News – 30-August-2012 – IRVINE, Calif— – IRVINE, Calif—For the first time ever, a diversely talented group of U.S. and International Yamaha music school students gathered to perform at Yamaha’s 2012 U.S. National Junior Original Concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre on August 5th, 2012. Students, aged 7-16, from the U.S, Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica performed their own original music compositions to an enthusiastic, sold out audience.

Julia Song, 16, of Yamaha Music Center in Irvine, as well as Valerie Narumi, 13, Sharon Hurvitz, 13, and Alexander Hurvitz, 9, of Harmony Music World in Fullerton and Megan Chang, 11, of Yamaha Music Center in Torrance, represented Southern California. Kylie Smith, 7, and Christian Nguyen, 16, of the East Valley Yamaha Music School, represented Chandler, Arizona. Lily Hoyt, 9, of the Yamaha Music School Boston in Lexington, Massachusetts and Isaac Quinones, 13, of Heid Music in Appleton, Wisconsin, rounded out the stateside participants.

Three Yamaha International students also lent their musical and compositional talents to the event. These included Pamela Beine, 13, of the Academia de Musica Bansbach in San Jose, Costa Rica, Wen Yi Yeo, 14, of the Yamaha Music School of Toronto and Victoria Sofia Rangel Gonzalez, 11, of the Academia Yamaha Insurgentes in Mexico City.

“Yamaha Music School activities in the United States and worldwide aim to promote an appreciation of music and to foster life-long music participation,” said Mike Morrell, Manager, Yamaha Music Education System. “The participation of these wonderful International students made for an especially exciting evening and showed the global scope of Yamaha Music School.”

The Yamaha Music Education System is operated in music schools and musical instrument dealers in 40 countries worldwide. Six million students have graduated from the System, including many professional musicians, since its inception over 50 years ago. Currently, over 600,000 students are enrolled. Highly regarded by experts for its comprehensive approach, the Yamaha method cultivates a sense of music, love of music, and fundamental musical ability. Morrell stated “We’re gratified that Yamaha Music School graduates now occupy leading positions as performers and teachers all over the world. Even more satisfying though is the thought that, because of Yamaha Music School, millions have embraced active music participation as an important part of their lives.”

As a result of Yamaha’s developmentally appropriate, comprehensive approach, students can develop a very high level of ability not only as performers, but also as composers and improvisers. Junior Original Concerts, such as the one at Barclay Theater, give talented Yamaha students the chance to perform their original compositions and improvisations for an audience. The concerts take place in venues large and small around the world annually. Past cities include Paris, Tokyo, New York, Milan, Boston, Los Angeles and Vienna in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center to name a few.

Inevitably, audience members are stunned at the remarkable ability displayed by the young players. Wai Leong, Music Director for the concert said, “Children have more ability than we think. Our aim is to recognize it, to unlock it.”

The Yamaha method and materials are produced, published and distributed worldwide by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo. In the United States, 60 schools located throughout the country are authorized to teach the method. Highly trained teachers, certified by Yamaha Corporation of America, teach the weekly lessons, which cover everything from ear training to keyboard performance.

About Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) is one of the largest subsidiaries of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of award-winning musical instruments, sound reinforcement and home entertainment products to the U.S. market. Products include: Yamaha acoustic, digital and hybrid pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio equipment, Steinberg recording products and Nexo commercial audio products, as well as AV receivers, amplifiers, Blu-ray/CD players, iPod docking systems, home-theater-in-a-box systems and its exclusive line of Digital Sound Projectors. YCA markets innovative, finely crafted technology and entertainment products and musical instruments targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, professional music, installation and consumer markets.